Warriors beat Nuggets in final game of season, eye Pelicans in playoffs

OAKLAND - Not hoots or hollers were heard in Golden State’s locker room. No hugs or high-fives were seen, and no major celebrations were in the works.

“Reserved but happy,” is how coach Steve Kerr described his team.

After the best regular season in franchise history, the Warriors want more. In fact, nothing less than a championship might be good enough now.

Klay Thompson scored 25 points before resting in the second half, and the Warriors wrapped up a record-setting season with a 133-126 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night.

“You kind of got to let it sink in, just how historic this season was when it comes to all the great teams that have suited up in this league,” said star Stephen Curry, a leading candidate for NBA MVP. “The record’s crazy. We want to enjoy that. But it’s playoff time. We have to be ready.”

Starters on both sides rested most of the game, with the Warriors tuning up for the playoffs and the Nuggets long out of contention. The biggest developments for Golden State, which secured home-court advantage throughout the playoffs a couple weeks ago, came on the out-of-town scoreboard.

The top-seeded Warriors (67-15) learned they’ll face New Orleans in the first round after the Pelicans beat San Antonio to clinch a postseason berth. Game 1 of the best-of-seven series is Saturday in Oakland.

Golden State went 3-1 against New Orleans this season.

“We’ve got to get to work. Now it gets hard,” Kerr said.

Denver (30-52) ended with a loss to the Warriors for the third consecutive season, including the first round of the 2013 playoffs. Melvin Hunt finished 10-13 as interim coach after Brian Shaw’s dismissal, and he encouraged players to listen to the playoff chatter around the Warriors and use it as fuel moving forward.

More than anything that happened on the court, the night brought finality to a season full of firsts and fun for the Bay Area’s beloved NBA team.

The Warriors set franchise bests for wins (67), home wins (39) and road wins (28). Curry surpassed his own league-record for 3-pointers in a season by hitting 286 beyond the arc. And Kerr won more games than any rookie coach in NBA history.

Kerr, who won three titles playing with Michael Jordan in Chicago and two more under Gregg Popovich in San Antonio, knows that means little now.

Even though the Warriors enter the playoffs as the top seed, they’ll have their work cut out for them in a loaded Western Conference that includes No. 2 Houston, No. 3 Clippers, No. 4 Portland, No. 5 Memphis and No. 6 Spurs - the NBA champs and a team that always give the Warriors trouble. Dallas is seventh.

The Warriors have not reached the Western Conference finals since 1976. That came a year after the franchise won its only Bay Area championship.

“I like the challenge of having to play a good team right away,” Kerr said. “It’ll bring out the best in us. It’ll bring out our edge. We know what we’re up against.”

LEE SIDELINED

Warriors forward David Lee, an All-Star two years ago but a reserve now, sat out with a strained lower back. Kerr said he’s not sure if Lee will be able to play Saturday.

UP NEXT

Nuggets: Season over.

Warriors: Home against New Orleans in Game 1 on Saturday.